A Double Sided Coin
by Silver Wolf Queen
Summary: Centuries ago, Terra was entrusted with a great evil. She's kept the entity locked away, up until now. Now it is winter, her weakest season, and she is being attacked nightly be Nightmares. When her brother is injured, she decides to get help from the Guardians. Can she save her brother, her home, and the world itself... or will she and the Guardians be annihilated?
1. Prologue

**A Double Sided Coin**

By Silver Wolf Queen

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**A/N- Hey everybody! Guess what? I finally got off my lazy posterior and uploaded something! I'm so proud of myself! *pats self on back* Okay, this is my first ever fanfiction! Thank you everyone for taking time out of your day to read this. Please review!**

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**Prologue**

Pitch Black's battle with the Guardians had left him broken and his powers drained. After his nightmares, his _own_ nightmares, had dragged him back into his lair, they had kept him in a constant state of uncontrollable fear. Sure, this was the same thing they did to his enemies, but he certainly didn't like being on the receiving end of the attacks.

After days of struggling, he finally managed to pry himself free from their endless visions. He crawled away from the black sand creatures, coughing and trying to clear his mind of the paralyzing fear. Once he caught his breath, he growled and punched the ground.

"Those Guardians have been a thorn in my side for too long. I will have my revenge... especially on _Jack Frost_," he spat the name of the Guardian of Fun as if it was curse.

Dark laughter filled the cave. Pitch frantically looked around, scanning the shadows for the source of the laughter. He pushed himself to his feet, swaying unsteadily, "Who is there?"

The laughter continued, but a figure in a hooded black cloak stepped out of the shadows. The golden and red highlights shifted like liquid as the figure glided forward. The shadow of the hood covered the figure's face. When it spoke, its voice was raspy and reptilian, "Why, Pitch... Don't you remember your old friend?"

Pitch gasped and stared at the figure, completely failing to hide the fear in his eyes. This man couldn't possibly be... No, it's impossible. He was killed thousands of years ago. It wasn't possible. Was it?

The man hidden by the cloak chuckled darkly, "Tell me, Pitch..." the man glided forward and chuckled as Pitch scrambled backwards, "How does it feel to be powerless and full of fear?"

His fear momentarily turned to anger, "Listen here..."

The man held up a scaly red hand, effectively quieting Pitch, "No, Pitch. You listen to me. You see, I have waited many years for the perfect moment to exact my revenge. I find that the time is now. But, there are a few... obstacles in my way. So I have a proposal for you."

Pitch stared slack jawed at the man as he left his offer hanging, "Apophis?"

The man in the black cloak chuckled again, the deep sound vibrating through the very rocks around them, "There we go. For a moment, I had thought you had truly forgotten your old friend."

"What do you want?"

"Like I said, I have a proposal for you. I want to exact my revenge on that infernal sun spirit, but to get at him, I must first get rid of his annoying sister. You see, we share a common enemy. The Guardians. I think we could both benefit from a team up of sorts."

"What's in it for me?"

Apophis disappeared and reappeared behind Pitch and whispered, "Fear. More fear than ever before. Just imagine the panic in the streets. The delicious chaos and terror."

Pitch could almost hear the screams and felt the strength returning to his body. He turned around to face Apophis, "You have a deal."

Apophis smiled behind the hood of the cloak, "Long live chaos."


	2. Don't Touch the Tree

**A Double Sided Coin**

By Silver Wolf Queen

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**A/N- Hey! This is the actual beginning of the story! I'm so happy! So with out further adieu... the story! :)**

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**Chapter 1: Don't Touch the Tree**

Lets just say my first impression of Jack Frost was not a good one, but I'll get to that later.

It was just a normal day for me. As I wandered down the streets of Burgess, my waist length chocolate brown hair swung behind me as I walked. I looked like just a normal teenage girl. I was petite and slightly curvy, with green eyes and a sprinkle of freckles across my nose. I wore blue skinny jeans, a white tank top underneath a blue half shirt cut to fall off of one shoulder, and a pair of black boots with a slight heel. The blue shirt had a cartoon of the Earth on it with Earth Day 2012 written in white underneath it.

I smiled at all the people I passed, but very few actually smiled back. Mostly just children and the occasional teen. It didn't hurt my feelings or anything, I was used to it.

I watched as a woman in her thirties somehow managed to text on her phone while leading a young toddler down the sidewalk. The little girl's blond hair was pulled into two pigtails and she was holding a bouquet of flowers. She was dressed in pants, a white shirt, and a pink sweater for the rapidly decreasing temperature.

The flowers were obviously store bought. The wild flowers in this town were long gone. Pity, I bet this town looked spectacular in spring.

The little girl pulled her eyes away from the flowers and looked right at me. Her lips broke into a huge toothy smile. She tugged on her mother's sleeve and pointed at me, "Mommy! Mommy! She's so pretty!"

The mother looked up from her phone and scanned the sidewalk for who her daughter was talking about. Her lips curled down in a frown, "Sally, there's no one there."

The little girl, Sally, looked from her mom to me and back to her mom, "Yes there is. She's right there!"

The mom looked right at me, but didn't see. By now, they were right in front of me, "Sally, there's no one there. And it's not nice to point."

The mother walked right through me and continued on. I cringed slightly at the odd sensation. No matter how many times that has happened to me, I still can't get used to the feeling. It makes my skin crawl.

"Huh, flowers," the mother mused. Sally stared back at me in fascination and confusion. I held a finger up to my lips and winked at her. She smiled and held a finger up to her mouth in a promise.

I laughed and turned around. Continuing my aimless wandering, I soon found myself near a fenced in park. Like I said before, it must have been gorgeous in the spring. Unfortunately, since it's fall, the grass was a sickly brown and the leaves were beginning to change color and fall to the ground.

A squirrel sat on the branch of a tree, gnawing at an acorn. Its ears and nose twitched and it looked up, its gaze falling on me. It made a chattering noise and scampered down the limb and onto the black fence. It raced across the top of the fence, caught up to me, then leapt onto my shoulder. It chattered happily in my ear and I laughed.

It looked satisfied and began to gnaw on the acorn again. I walked down the street with the squirrel sitting on my shoulder, enjoying the company. I don't get much company, so I cherish every moment I get.

After a few minutes, the squirrel finally managed to get to the nut protected by the acorn's shell. It chattered in triumph and proudly showed the nut to me. I laughed again at the sweet creature, "Very good! You'll be ready for winter in no time!"

_If I had _my_ way, you wouldn't have to prepare for winter at all_, I thought miserably.

The squirrel nodded vigorously, delighted by the praise, and shoved the nut in its cheeks.

My laughter was abruptly cut short my a female voice, "Mistress!" I instinctively looked around and saw a girl who looked about 15 years old running towards me. She had pale skin with a greenish tint and evergreen colored hair. She wore a dress made of leaves and her cheeks were flushed a dark green in exhaustion. That wasn't even the disturbing part. The part that made me gasp was the look of pure terror in her eyes.

The girl came to a stop in front of me and doubled over trying to catch her breath, "Mistress... I need your help... he's..."

I patted the girl's back, "Come down. Just catch your breath. What's your name?"

"Willow, Miss."

"Okay Willow. What is wrong?"

"It's horrible. He's killing them! He's killing the trees!" Willow wailed. She doubled over again, this time clutching her sides in pain.

I began to panic, "Where? Willow, I can't do anything if I don't know where to go."

"You'll help?" she looked up at me with tears in her eyes.

"Of course I will!"

Willow nodded, stood up straight, and took off running the way she had come, "Follow me, Mistress!"

I raced after her, the squirrel clinging to my shirt in a desperate attempt to stay on my shoulder. I followed her through the gates into the park. We sprinted down the path, my boots pounding against the ground. Veering off the path, we disappeared deeper into the trees. Willow stopped and pointed ahead, "He's right there!"

I looked where she was pointing and saw a teenage boy holding a crude shepherd's hook made out of a tree branch. He had white hair and wore a blue hoodie covered in frost, brown pants torn at the bottoms, and had bare feet. He tapped his shepherd's hook on a Oak tree's trunk and frost swirled around the tree. I could see evidence of his handy work all around from frosted leaves to the frost on the ground. This blatant killing of nature made my blood boil.

I grabbed a dead tree branch lying on the ground and walked up behind the teenager, "HEY! YOU IN THE HOODIE! WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?"

The boy whirled around and stared at me in disbelief, "Me?"

"Yeah you! Do you see any other teenage guys in a hoodie freezing trees?" I brandished my tree branch menacingly.

"Um..." he looked shocked and a little guilty as he eyed the dead branch in my hand, "No?"

"What's wrong with you? Those trees haven't even gone dormant yet and you're killing them!" I screamed at him, taking a step forward.

He took a step back and bumped into the tree trunk, "I'm sorry."

"Yeah. Well tell that to the Dryads that live in those trees!" the squirrel chattered in agreement.

"What?" he looked genuinely confused, but ignorance doesn't excuse an almost massacre.

A foot came down and kicked the boy's head, "WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOU? YOU COULD HAVE KILLED ME!"

The boy looked up and saw a girl who looked a lot like Willow sitting the tree, scowling down at him. She had her arms crossed and her face was flushed green with anger. He dodged a second kick from the Dryad and the girl scowled deeper.

The girl looked up into the foliage, "Get 'im."

The boy's eyes widened in horror as squirrels appeared out of the foliage and pelted him with acorns. He made a pained noise every time an acorn hit him and he tried to use his arms to shield his face. Finally, he'd had enough and a cool wind picked up, catapulting him into the air. He rode the wind away, acorns following him until he was out of throwing range.

"AND DON'T LET ME CATCH YOU DOING THAT AGAIN!" I screamed after him. I lowered my weapon and turned back to the two Dryads, "I'm sorry I wasn't here earlier."

The second Dryad waved off my apology, "It's okay. You got here before he could do any real damage."

I nodded, still feeling a little guilty, and turned to look at the rest of the frosted plants. No doubt the Dryads of these plants were trying to conserve energy, so they wouldn't be appearing anytime soon. I walked over to the nearest tree and pressed my palm against the trunk. I smiled as I felt a familiar warmth spread from my hand into the tree. The frost, and the damage it had done, began to disappear. The tree began to give off a healthy aura instead of the sick one it had been emitting seconds before.

I pulled my hand away and heard the tree giggle in thanks. I smiled, but on the inside, I felt drained. My power during the cold months isn't what it is during the warm ones. I pushed the exhaustion to the side and turned to the next tree. One down, only an entire clearing to go.

**Jack's P.O.V**

Jack was not happy. Not in the least.

Those squirrels could really throw a mean acorn. Okay, so nothing was hurt, except his pride, but those acorns had really stung!

He had to use the winds to escape with even a shred of dignity left intact. He flew over Burgess in search of something to do. In all honesty, he just wanted to distract himself from the huge embarrassment he had just suffered.

Not only had he just met the oldest believer he had ever heard of, but he had met her while he was freezing some trees. Something that she obviously didn't like. Now, Jack wasn't an overly self conscious guy, but he was more than a bit embarrassed. Should he apologize? Now that he was a Guardian, he needed believers and he certainly didn't want any believers to think he was some tree hating jerk. Especially not such a pretty one...

Jack mentally slapped himself. What was he thinking? Why did he think that? She was pretty, but she was human! And he was Jack Frost! He couldn't have a crush on a human girl! Especially since he had just met her. And she was going to hit him with a tree branch! If anything, she should be the one to apologize! Uh, maybe Jamie was out and about.

He flew over the town, searching the ground for his first believer when something caught his eye. A streak of black shot out of an alley and along the sidewalk, moving much faster than any animal should be able to. Jack watched and quickly realized what the streak was.

It was a Nightmare.

A Nightmare out in broad daylight? They were obviously getting stronger. And if the Nightmares were getting stronger, then so was Pitch. He changed his course and followed behind the Nightmare as it galloped down the street. It either didn't see him, or didn't care he was following. Either way, the horse made of black sand continued down the street, back the way Jack had just come.

Then, out of no where, the Nightmare put on a fresh burst of speed and shot through the park gates at a mind blowing speed. Jack, determined not to let the creature escape, urged the wind to carry him faster. He flew through the trees till he saw the Nightmare's tail disappear through some thick foliage. He followed and burst out into the clearing where he had met the girl.

The only difference was the clearing was completely empty. There was no girl, and no Nightmare.

Jack spun around, trying to find the Nightmare's escape route, but found none. The creature had disappeared into thin air.

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**A/N- In case anyone is wondering, Dryads are the Greek spirits of the trees. They draw their life force from the trees. I'm a huge mythology geek, so there will be a lot of mythology references.**


	3. Home Sweet Tree

**A Double Sided Coin**

by Silver Wolf Queen

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**A/N- Just to let you guys know, these three chapters took me three days to write. That's the fastest I've _ever_ written anything! Please read and review! Reviews just make my day!**

**Disclaimer: I realized I forgot to say this in the earlier chapters, I do not... repeat do not... own Rise of the Guardians. Oh how I wish I did. *stares dreamily off into space* But unfortunately I do not. I only have my OCs and the plot.**

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**Chapter 2: Home Sweet Tree**

After scaring the pants off of the teen, I flew over the Black Forest in Germany and whooped in delight. Even after all these years, the magic of riding the winds never ceased to amaze me. I was doing something mankind had dreamed of for millennia and I did it almost effortlessly. I must say, being a spirit did have its advantages. Eventually, I reached a section deep within the forest and decided to continue by foot.

I willed the wind to lower me to the ground and soon my boots met the cold wet dirt. I rubbed my bare arms subconsciously. I didn't get cold anymore, but it was a habit. Well, I could tell it was cold out, but it didn't bother me like it used to.

I glided through the forest, enjoying the green of the fir trees. No matter what time of year it was, I could always count on the pines to stay green. I heard a loud howling noise and smiled. To a normal person, the howling would sound ominous, but to me, it was a welcome. A pack of five bear sized wolves came out of the foliage.

The alpha, a jet black wolf, nodded to me as he passed. Three of the other four followed the alpha's example, but the fourth stopped in front of me. This one was the smallest, the runt of the group(by runt, I mean only mountain lion sized). He was a real sweet heart and a good friend. He nudged my hand, silently asking me a question.

I laughed, "No. I'm okay... just a little tired."

He gave me a dubious look, but took my word and ran to catch up with the rest of the pack. I watched until the tip of his tail disappeared through the undergrowth and I was left alone. Sighing, I turned and continued on my way through the forest. After a few minutes, I came to a dense wall of undergrowth that had grown well above my head. My steps never faltered as I walked straight through the leaves as if they weren't even there.

I felt as if I had stepped through a bubble into an oasis, and in a sense, I had. I smiled when I saw the familiar giant tree roots and shrubs that made up my Grove. My eyes followed the enormous roots to the tree itself. Even after all these years, my home still takes my breath away.

The Yggdrasil.

Or better known as The Worlds Tree. It looked very out of place, considering the fir forest I had just stepped out of, but in my Grove, it looked completely at home. Now to put the magnitude of the Yggdrasil into perspective, imagine the Empire State Building, then imagine a tree slightly bigger. It looks very much like a tree you would find deep in the rainforest, which makes sense, seeing as the trees in the rainforest are direct descendants of The Worlds Tree. It was covered in green vines and moss with flowers blooming everywhere. Birds of paradise sat lazily in its branches and monkeys leapt from branch to branch.

And that was only the tree. The Grove was filled with flowering plants and animals that you couldn't find anywhere else in the world. If it weren't for my Grove, most of these species would have gone extinct a long time ago. Snow white deer frolicked in the tall grass as Cave Bears peacefully chewed on vegetation. Carrier Pigeons roosted in smaller trees and a feathered snake draped contently across a tree branch. There were other strange creatures, such as foxes with nine tails, horses with wings, and a white stallion with a single horn on its forehead, that inhabited my Grove, but there were also normal animals, such as rabbits, chipmunks, sugar gliders.

To put it simply, this was my little haven. The air here was cleaner than what was found throughout the rest of the world and the animals were more at peace, not worried about losing their home to humans. At least, not as long as I lived.

I smiled as one particular fox detached himself from his comrades and ran over to me. He leapt into the air and tackled me to the ground. I couldn't help laughing as his tongue tickled my face. This was Red. He was the first Nine Tailed Fox I had ever found. He had been injured by a hunter and I had nursed him back to health. He's been my pet ever since. If I hadn't found him, I would probably still be ignorant to the Nine Tailed Fox's existence and they would have gone silently extinct. Luckily, after finding him, I had found several others and brought them here. Since then, they have flourished in their new habitat.

This was part of my job as a spirit, to bring endangered species to my Grove to flourish and survive.

I continued to laugh as I ruffled the red fur on the top of his head. The funny thing about Nine Tailed Foxes, its really rare that you ever find one with nine tails. They're only called Nine Tailed Foxes because that is the maximum amount of tails they can gain. They grow a new tail every 1000 years and their life expectancy is a little over 9000. That's what makes them such good pets for immortals, they live for an extremely long time. Red is fairly young, seeing as he only just grew his third tail 50 years ago. Another funny thing about Nine Tailed Foxes, you will never see them grow another tail. Ever.

Trust me, I tried. Kits are born without a tail, which is quite adorable actually. They gain their first tail on the night of the 1000th year anniversary of their birth. I once sat up all night on the 1000 year anniversary of a kit's birth and waited for the tail to grow. I sat there all night and the second I blinked, the tail had grown and the kit was a thousand years old. I later tried it with another kit, but after hours of keeping my eyes wide open, I eventually blinked and the tail was magically there. I gave up after that.

I tickled the fur under his chin and his foot began to beat the ground the way a dog's does when you scratch their tickle spot. I stood up and walked towards the Yggdrasil, admiring the beautiful wildlife as I went. Red ran up next to me and shoved his head under my hand, demanding more attention. I rubbed his head as I walked and we soon came to the base of the giant tree. I pressed by hand against the bark and felt the comforting presence of the tree, but it also gave off a sick aura. The Yggdrasil reflects the Earth's health and lately, it hasn't been doing too well. The fact that it was losing leaves due to winter didn't help either.

It made me extremely sad to see this colossal tree so affected by the pollution the humans were spilling into the world. The Yggdrasil is not just my home, but also the source of my power. If it is sick, then I am weak. So indirectly, the pollution caused by the humans is weakening me. You can imagine the good mood that puts me in.

I pushed my sudden anger to the side. No good ever comes from anger.

The tree gave off a welcoming vibe, acknowledging my presence. Then, as if by magic (because it was), a large clump of vines began to slip free of each other. They untangled and revealed a large opening in the tree's trunk. I summoned the winds to carry me and Red up to the opening. We stepped in and the vines closed the opening behind us.

I smiled at my home. The inside of the Yggdrasil was hollowed out to create a cylindrical living space. I honestly don't know how it managed to grow like that, because I found it like this. It was obviously the doing of magic, but it still never ceases to amaze me. The tree was hollow, but still grew and was very much alive. Just another piece of my not-so-typical life.

There was the main room, which took up the entire hollowed out area. It extended all the way up to the top of the Yggdrasil and a giant spiral staircase went around the walls to the top of the room. There were doorways leading off of the staircase into other areas such as bedrooms or a kitchen (which I didn't use too often). Everywhere there wasn't a staircase or a door, the wall was covered by a giant bookshelf. Being immortal, I have a lot of free time on my hands and reading is one of my favorite pass times. I've acquired quite the collection of books over the years, but wasn't anywhere near close to filling the shelves.

The room was lit by little glass jars filled with a luminescent liquid I liked to call Glow Juice. It was a mixture of the extracts of several plants that grow in my Grove. I found out that by mixing them together, they would create a bright light and I began to use it to light my home. It was a lot safer than fire, since my entire home was flammable, and natural, unlike light bulbs.

Streaks of bright light flew about the room. Some flying with purpose, others simply wandering around. Several lights came and flew around me, "Welcome home, Mistress!" they squeaked happily.

"Hello. And how many times do I have to tell you guys to call me Terra? Mistress sounds too formal."

"But Terra is too familiar, Mistress!" a pink light cried. It flew up in front of my face and if I squinted, I could see the small figure hidden by the rosy pink glow. It was a tiny woman with pale pink skin and short cut hair. She had her hands on her hips as if she was chastising a naughty child.

"Yeah!" the rest agreed.

I sighed and mentally face palmed. I loved the fairies, but they were too into manners, "Maybe, but calling me Terra would make me happy."

"Don't be sad, Mistress!" a blue fairy flew in front of my face.

I gave up trying to get them to use my real name and continued further into my home. There were chairs and couches arranged around the floor for reading purposes. Made of completely natural materials, of course. Red raced ahead of me and dove into his favorite blanket. It was something I had made several years ago from the wool of a flock of sheep that like wander around my Grove. I had dyed it midnight blue with little embroidered stars sprinkled here and there to create the illusion of stars.

I summoned the winds to carry me up to the bookshelves as I searched for something to read. As I contemplated my decision, I hummed a song I had heard playing on the radio in some kid's car the other day. Eventually, my humming turned into me mumbling the lyrics until I was full out singing them.

"_I got my ticket for the long way 'round_

_The one with the prettiest of views_

_It's got mountains, it's got rivers_

_It's got sights that give you shivers_

_But it sure would be prettier with you"_

I was twirling around in the air, forgetting my task for the moment and just having fun with the song,

"_When I'm gone, when I'm gone_

_You're gonna miss me when I'm gone_

_You're gonna miss me by my walk_

_You're gonna miss me by my talk, oh_

_You're gonna miss me when I'm gone"_

I was broken out of my singing trance by the sound of Red yelping at me. I looked down and noticed him staring up at me, slightly annoyed. I laughed at his annoyance and grabbed a book from the shelf. The winds set me back on the ground and I walked over to an old seat to sit down and enjoy my book. The second I sat down, Red leapt up on my lap and curled up, getting comfortable.

He licked my elbow as I opened my book to page 1. It was Stoneheart by Charlie Fletcher, one of my personal favorites. I loved the way Mr. Fletcher portrayed magic and the world itself. He portrayed it as something more than what most humans could see, a place filled with magic and mysteries. It was fairly accurate about magic itself and I loved that about it.

Before I knew it, Red was fast asleep and I was half way through the book. I sat my book down on the chair's arm rest and contemplated whether to wake Red up or not. Deciding against it, I just picked him up instead. Setting him down on his blanket, I wondered what I was going to do next. I could continue reading or I could go take a walk.

I looked around and decided a walk would be better. I needed to move around, I was tired of sitting around. I crept to the doorway and the vines untangled to allow me access to the outside. When I jumped, the wind slowed my descent so I landed without a sound. I wandered through the dark Grove, twirling hair around a finger absentmindedly.

A mother Cave Bear looked lazily up at me as I passed her and her cubs. I nodded politely in response and she harrumphed, but went back to sleep. Her indifference caused a smile to slip onto my face as I admired the flora shining in the moonlight. I've always had a soft spot for the night, that's when the moon came out. The moon was so beautiful, but I might be slightly biased about that. Seeing as I wouldn't be here today if it wasn't for the Man in the Moon.

I shook off the sadness the thought of how I had come to this point brought me. No sense dwelling on the past.

_Yes, especially when such fun things are about to happen_, a familiar female voice whispered to me.

I doubled over, clutching my head as I was bombarded with a mind splitting headache. It felt as if my head would explode if I didn't hold it together myself, "What do you want?" I hissed, partially from the pain, but also from the sudden rage that filled me.

_Oh don't be like that. I'm here to give you a warning_, the voice continued.

"What?"

_There's a storm coming. Just thought you'd want to know._

"A storm? What do you mean?" I whispered hysterically... I needed to know.

But the voice was quiet. Slowly, the headache subsided and I was able to stand up again. Feeling suddenly weary, like I had just run a marathon, I began my trek back to the Yggdrasil. I hated that voice so much. Partially because of the pain it brought, but also because it was so familiar. That would make sense, seeing as it was my own. Except it was filled with sugar coated hatred. A way my voice never sounded.

Before I had even reached the Cave Bear den, I was overtaken by a horrible pain in my gut. I gasped and clutched my sides. In my sudden pain, I tripped and soon found myself face down on the trail. The pain could only mean one thing...

Something was attacking the magic borders of my Grove.

I let out a ear piercing whistle. The sharp sound shot through the quiet of the night and woke almost every animal from its sleep. The Dryads dropped from the trees, fully dressed in battle gear with their weapons at the ready. Without a word, they raced silently toward the border, intent on protecting their home. The bone chilling howls of a wolf pack sliced through the air seconds later, signally they had joined the fight.

I struggled to my feet, panting from the pain that soon diminished to a dull throb. I stumbled forward to the Yggdrasil. Several fairies where waiting for me at the base of the immense tree, struggling to carry my armor. It was made of an extremely strong and silvery metal alloy only found in my Grove. There was a helmet, a breast plate, arm and shin guards, and a belt to carry my sword and scabbard.

I grabbed the armor and tried my best to hurry with the straps, but my fingers kept fumbling around as if this was my first time putting it on. It had been a long time since the borders had been attacked, and I guess this sudden attack was effecting me more than it should have. Finally, I managed to get my armor and I drew my sword. Holding it in the air, I let out a loud battle cry and took off towards the border where the battle was taking place. It was time I helped defend my home.

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**A/N- Can anyone guess who our mystery voice is? Also, the Yggdrasil is the mythical tree from Norse mythology and is pronounced Yi(like the beginning of yippy)-draw-sill.  
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	4. Digging For Information

A Double Sided Coin

by Silver Wolf Queen

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**A/N- Hey everyone! I'm am so sorry for the delay in updating. I wanted to put this chapter up on Monday, but my proofreaders are slower than molasses going up hill in January. I know... excuses excuses. I just wanted to thank Beautiful dreaming warrior and SakuraTenshi36092 for putting this story on their alerts. I would also like to thank RANDOM FOX GRRL for putting this story on both her alerts and favorites. You guys are amazing! You have no idea how excited I was to know that people liked this story. And also a big thank you to everyone else who read the first three chapters! Thank you _so_ much. This chapter is for you all.**

**2nd A/N- This chapter is kinda short, sorry. But it's full of back story. So it's REALLY important. I would also like to apologize in advance if I don't get Bunnymund's accent right. Wow... that's a lot of apologies. Okay, enjoy :)**

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Chapter 3: Digging For Information

Jack's P.O.V.

Jack had spent the first three days after the encounter with Tree Branch Girl discreetly looking around for her. He told himself it was simply because he wanted to apologize to her for almost freezing those trees, but if he was being honest with himself, he just wanted to see her again. He couldn't stop thinking about her chocolate brown hair and the fire in her eyes. She was both beautiful and fierce and he liked that in a girl.

Also, he was intrigued by the fact that she was so old and could still see him. But after 2 months, he gave up and decided to forget about her. Unfortunately, that was easier said than done. During snowball fights with Jamie Bennett and his friends, he thought about her, when he rode the winds she came to mind, everything he did brought his thoughts back to her.

He flew next to his first believer and his three year old sister as they walked home. Eight year old Jamie Bennett was holding Sophie's hand so she wouldn't wander off. Jamie was chattering about what he had been doing in school lately, but Jack was only partially listening. Normally, he would have been all ears, but there was something about Tree Branch Girl that dominated his thoughts. And it wasn't just her interesting choice in weapons. It was really annoying.

Soon, they were back at Jamie's house. Jamie and Sophie's mom greeted them at the door while Jack entered the house through Jamie's window. He spent the evening with the Bennetts, even though Mrs. Bennett couldn't see him. It had been almost a year since Jamie first saw Jack, became his first believer, and helped defeat The Boogeyman. Since then, Jack had come to visit the Bennett kids every chance he got. Jamie tried to tell his mom about Jack, but she just wrote him off as an imaginary friend. She pretended to see him and talk to him, as a parent does with their child's imaginary friend. Jack found it extremely amusing when she would look off in a completely different direction from where he was standing and pretended to talk to him. Jamie and Sophie also thought it was hilarious, but never said anything to correct her.

Before he knew it, it was Sophie's bedtime. Jamie was sitting on a rocking chair he had pulled over to his sister's bed while Jack floated cross legged above the floor. Jamie and Sophie were excitedly discussing what they wanted to do tomorrow… well Jamie was giving suggestions and Sophie was enthusiastically agreeing.

Suddenly, Sophie turned her big green eyes to Jack, "Jack?"

He looked over at the toddler, "Yeah, my little princess?"

She giggled at the nickname, she loved princesses, "Is Mother Nature weal?"

Jack blinked at the little girl's question, "Yeah."

"What's she like?"

"Well... I've never met her myself, but I've heard the other Guardians mention her. Why do you ask?"

Sophie shifted her eyes down to the blankets sadly, "Mommy said people are being mean to her and de- defi-deni?"

"Defiling," Jamie corrected his little sister.

She looked at him gratefully then turned back to Jack, "Yeah that. She said they're doin' that to the envi-enver-?"

"Environment."

"Yeah… That."

Jack looked at Sophie. She was so sweet, getting upset for a spirit she hadn't even met before. Actually, she looked as if she was about to cry, "Hey, don't cry. Tell you what..."

"What?" Sophie sniffled, holding back tears.

"I'll ask the other Guardians about her and report back to you. I might even be able to get her to come and visit. How does that sound?"

"Good!" the little girl giggled and flung her chubby arms around Jack's neck, "Thank you Jack!"

"Sure thing Sophie," Jack smiled at the little girl's enthusiasm.

The door opened and Mrs. Bennett came in, "Hey you two. It's time for Sophie to go to sleep."

"But I don't wanna sleep! I want to talk to Jack!" the little girl pouted and crossed her arms.

"Jack can wait till morning," her mother laughed, shooing her brother out of the room, "You need your sleep."

"I'm not tired. I'm never gonna sleep ever again. Never ever!" Sophie declared, trying her best to hide the yawn that crept up on her as soon as she had finished her declaration.

Mrs. Bennett laughed knowingly and kissed the little girl on the forehead, "Good night, Sophie."

"I'm not gonna go to sleep!" Sophie insisted as her mom walked out of the room.

Moments later, Sophie was fast asleep in her bed and Jack slipped out of the window in her room in the night. His destination: The Tooth Palace.

* * *

"Hey Tooth... What do you know about Mother Nature?" Jack asked as he watched Tooth perform her duties as the Guardian of Memory. She was a human-hummingbird hybrid. The only thing completely normal about her was her face and hands. The rest of her was covered in blue, green, and gold feathers. She was constantly zooming around, her iridescent dragonfly-like wings a blur behind her.

Tooth looked away from the fairies she was giving instructions to, "You mean Terra?"

"I don't know. Do I?"

Tooth laughed a tinkling laugh and hovered in front of Jack, "Yeah. Most people know her as Mother Nature, but she prefers Terra. She's a real sweet heart! A little shy and hard on herself, but super sweet! And she has great teeth! They're white as pearls!"

Jack rolled his eyes at Tooth's last comment. Of course she couldn't resist mentioning teeth, "Sophie wanted to know about her, so I was just wondering."

Tooth laughed again, "Well, I've known Terra for a long time, but not as long North and Bunny. If you really want to learn more about her, they're the ones to go to."

"Kay," Jack stood up and the winds picked him up and started carrying him away. Bunny was out of the question, so to the North Pole it was, "Thanks Tooth!"

"You're welcome Jack! Come back and visit again, okay?" Tooth shouted after him.

Jack gave her a thumbs up and flew off to talk to North.

* * *

"Terra is delightful girl! Very shy, but delightful none the less," North boomed happily in his signature Russian accent. He was a tall man, with a white beard and black, bushy eyebrows. His bright blue eyes twinkled with excitement and the sleeves of his plaid shirt where rolled up to reveal the "Naughty" and "Nice" tattoos on his forearms. He currently had his head buried in his work of making a new train to replace the one that had been smashed almost a year ago. He suddenly looked up and gave Jack a strange look, "Why sudden interest?"

Jack wearily leaned on his staff, "Sophie was asking about her and I told her I'd ask around. Honestly, I'm surprised I haven't met her myself. You'd think after 300 hundred years we would have run into each other at least once."

North chuckled and turned back to his project, "Not all surprising. Terra is spirit of nature and plants. You are spirit of winter. You don't tend to be in the same area at the same time."

"What do you know about her history?"

"Now that, I do not know so well. Best ask Bunny about that."

Jack sighed in defeat. It looked as if he would have to talk to Bunny if he wanted to find out about Terra, "Fine. Thanks North."

"Ah hah!" North cried in delight as the train began to work and fly around the room. But when it got close to the door, it flew open and in came a yeti. The train slammed into the door and shattered, "What? How many times do I have to tell you to knock?!"

The yeti looked shocked, then upset. He made an exasperated sound and slammed his head into the door jam.

Jack couldn't help but laugh at the scene as he flew out the window.

* * *

"Terra? Now tha's a good kid," the gray Pooka known as the Easter Bunny laughed. He had been a little apprehensive when Jack had first showed up, but the second he had asked about Terra, a huge smile had broke across the rabbit's face.

"Sophie was asking about her and North said you were the one to talk to about her history," Jack explained.

Bunny laughed, "How tha' lil' ankle bitah doin anyway?"

"She's good," Jack sat down on one of the many rocks sitting around Bunny's Warren, "She actually got pretty upset when her mom mentioned Mother Nature wasn't being treated right."

"I'll have ta stop bye ta see her," Bunny mused, "Well, what do ya want ta know about da Sheila?"

"I don't know… whatever you think Sophie would be interested in."

Bunny looked thoughtful, then began, "Well, Terra's old..."

"Like hundreds of years old?"

"Try thousands, Mate."

Jack's jaw dropped open, "Thousands?"

Bunny nodded absentmindedly, "Tha' lil mongrel of hers is 3 thousand. She was the like da first Guardian, too. Man in da Moon created her specifically ta fight Pitch. She's part of da reason he was lyin so low before his major attack last year."

"Really?"

"Yeah. Before da rest of us came about, she took care of a lot of our jobs. She was da giva of good dreams, and da nurisha of plants and ankle bitahs. When we Guardians came into da picta, she gladly handed ova most of her responsibilities. She mostly just takes care of da plants and animals of da world now."

"Wow."

"Yeah, she's a lil' shy, but she loves da lil' ankle bitahs."

"Huh," Jack mused.

"Anything else, Frost Bite? I need ta get back ta work," Bunny gestured towards the eggs wandering around the Warren.

"Nah. That's it," Jack took off into the air on his way back to the Bennett's home.

* * *

**So there it is... Chapter 3. Thank you so much for reading and please please please review!**


	5. Being Stubborn

**A Double Sided Coin**

by Silver Wolf Queen

* * *

**A/N: Hey everyone! I'm back! *cackles evilly* Okay. I'm really sorry for taking so long to update. There's really no excuse for it except my own laziness. But I'm back now and with a long chapter hot off the press! And guess what! This one has plot development! YAY! So without further adieu... the chapter!**

* * *

**Chapter 4: Being Stubborn**

**Terra's P.O.V.**

I stared down and tried to decipher the words swimming before my eyes. Blinking hard, I tried to clear my vision so I could continue the novel I was reading for the 4th time, but my eyes refused to focus. A single tear streaked down my cheek as I shut the book and set it down on the table next to me. It had been almost 2 months since the first of the Nightmares' attacks on the borders of my Grove and I hadn't been the same since.

Every night since the first attack, they attacked as soon as the sun set until the sun rose again. After almost 2 months of using almost all my power in battle, I was starting to constantly feel fatigued and empty. I couldn't focus on one thing for too long and I had been sleeping and eating more than usual. Spirits only ate and slept when we were especially tired or drained. Normally in the winter, I would need to eat something small every other day, and that's a lot for a spirit. I'd also normally only sleep maybe a few minutes once a week or so. But lately, I had been eating something every other hour and sleeping several hours in the day.

I closed my eyes to rest them, hoping they would straighten themselves out soon. Next thing I knew, I felt a hand on my shoulder, shaking me awake.

"I'mawake!" I cried, shooting up from the slumped position. I grinned stupidly at the twenty year old man kneeling in front of me, "Ra!"

I threw my arms around him in relief as tears of happiness streamed from my eyes. He pulled me into a tight embrace and laughed at my reaction, "Hey, Terra. I've only been gone a few hours."

"I know," I replied, wiping the tears off of my cheeks, "But I was afraid you wouldn't be able to get here before nightfall. With your duties and everything."

His expression went from happiness to concern and a hint of hurt, "Terra, when have I ever _not_ been there for you when you needed me?"

I laughed, "You've always been there. I'm sorry, I was just worrying unnecessarily."

He pulled me into another bear hug, "Don't be sorry. It's your job to worry. You are Mother Nature after all."

"Please don't call me that," I groaned, rolling my eyes.

"What? Does it bother you, _Mother Nature_?" he teased, poking the tip of my nose.

I playfully glared at him, "Yes. Please stop."

He shrugged and stood up, offering me his hand, "Whatever you say."

I took his hand and he pulled me to my feet. He let go and I almost collapsed to the floor in sudden dizziness and exhaustion. His instinctive reaction to grab my arm was the only thing that kept me from hitting the ground.

He looked at me with brotherly concern in his eyes, "Terra, I don't think you should be fighting tonight."

"Don't be silly," I scolded standing up with determination. I pried his hand off my arm and walked over to the small table in the center of the room with only the slightest stumble. He followed closely behind me, ready to catch me if I collapsed again, "This is my home and I will fight for it till my dying breath."

"That's what I'm afraid of," he muttered under his breath.

Choosing to ignore him, I stooped down, grabbed a carrot off the plate sitting on the table, and munched on it as I turned around to face Ra. For the first time since he showed up today, I studied what he was wearing. He looked pretty much like he normally did, his bronze skin and short black hair a huge contrast to his crystal blue eyes. He was wearing the traditional garb of his home, Egypt. A white skirt thing (He got very touchy when I called it a man skirt), a gold and blue collar with a red cape attached to it, and leather sandals. The only difference from what he normally wore was the gold breast plate (He normally went bare chested. He insisted it was because that's how men in his time dressed, but I'm pretty sure he just wanted to show off his muscles), the crook and flail hanging from his belt, and the curved sword, called a Khopesh, also held in place by the belt. Ra was a natural warrior, his toned muscles were a testament to that, and I was lucky to have him with me.

"Besides, who's better to protect me than my 'all powerful' adopted brother? And we've still got a while before the sun completely sets. Plenty of time for me to regain my strength."

He looked at me skeptically, "I know how long till sunset. I am the sun god after all."

"Sun _spirit_," I corrected, waving a stick of celery at him, "Let's not get cocky."

He grinned, "But 'sun _god_' has more of a ring to it than 'sun spirit'."

"You just like being worshiped as a god."

"I'm not denying it. I liked being believed in by so many people. I'm not ashamed," he laughed. I rolled my eyes, but he continued with a more somber tone, "But seriously Terra. I'm worried about you. I can't protect you throughout an entire battle. What if you collapsed in the middle of fighting a Nightmare? You would be completely at the mercy of those disgusting creatures' ."

I was taken back by Ra's suddenly weak stature. I had always seen him as an unstoppable force, but he looked completely torn apart by the thought of me in battle, "Hey," I placed my hand on his shoulder to get his attention, "I'll be fine. I'm just worried about the Dryads."

He laughed dryly, "The Dryads don't tire like you do, Terra..." he paused looking almost guilty, "Maybe... maybe we should call in the Guardians."

I choked on the celery in my mouth. After I got over the initial shock of him bringing the subject up (again), I said, "What? No," in my 'that's-my-final-answer' voice.

He pulled me into the third hug in 10 minutes, "I know you don't want to, but I'm worried about you Terra. We can't do this alone. Even though we're not genetically related, like it or not, you are my younger sister and I care about you. I don't want to see you get hurt. The Guardians can help."

"No," I shook my head, pulling away from his hug, "You know I'm not good with other people and I refuse to go begging random strangers for help."

"That's not true! You've known Tooth and Bunnymund since they became spirits and they adore you! North also thinks you're great! That's why he always invites you to the annual Guardians Christmas Party, even though you're not technically a Guardian! And don't even get me started on how his wife thinks of you as a daughter! You're just telling yourself you're bad with people to punish yourself! Terra, at some point you have to forgive yourself for your mistakes. It wasn't your fault what Gaea did!"

"Yes it is," I talked over him and held up my hand to silence him when he opened his mouth to contradict me, "Let me finish. My weakness allowed Gaea to do horrible things, but let's not fight about it okay? We both need our strength for tonight and arguing won't get us anywhere."

He looked like he wanted to say more, but thankfully he kept his mouth shut for my sake. I was stressed out enough as it was and I didn't need to add arguing with him to my list of woes. I wandered over to the wall of the Yggdrasil and pressed my palm against the trunk. The power that flowed into me from the tree invigorated me and my vision snapped back to normal. Suddenly, I didn't feel quite so exhausted and drained.

"Terra, you know this is a trap. Right?" Ra began slowly, "This is too perfectly timed to not be. It's right in the middle of winter, your weakest season, and they've been attacking you nonstop right at your home. The only place you would die defending."

I gave him a look that told him I didn't want to discuss the topic anymore, "I don't care if it is a trap. This is my home and I will go down fighting for it."

My gaze jerked towards the door when the sound of a horn blasted through the silence, signaling the sunset. I grabbed the armor sitting my chair, strapping it on with speed I didn't know I possessed. I placed the helmet on my head and went to grab my sword, but Ra made it there first, "Ra! Give me my sword!" I cried angrily and lunged for my weapon. My brother simply side stepped me and I sailed right past him. He grabbed my wrist to keep me from falling on my face and I quickly whipped around, straining to reach the sword he was now holding over his head. Unfortunately, Ra was a lot taller than I was. He was 6 feet tall while I was only 5 feet tall, "Seriously! This _isn't funny_!"

"No," he said stubbornly. I stared stupidly at him, surprised by his terse answer. He walked over to the wall, still holding the sword over his head, and pulled my bow and quiver from the wall, "I would feel a lot better if you stayed with the archery unit."

"What?"

"You'll be out of any immediate danger, but you'll still be able to defend your home. Plus, it's faster to kill Nightmares with a well aimed magical arrow than randomly stabbing at them," he explained, holding the archery equipment out to me.

"Ra! I'm not going to hide like a coward! Everyone else will be risking their lives to defend this grove and I have no right to do any less!" I yelled, making another grab for my sword, but he was expecting it and jerked the weapon out of my reach.

"Please, Terra? I can't watch over you and fight," he looked at me pleadingly and my anger dissipated. He was worried for me and that worry could get him killed.

"Okay, but only for you," I agreed as I strapped on the quiver and grabbed my bow from his outstretched hand, "But I also want my sword... as a precaution."

He sighed, but looked less worried, "Fine, but only use it if its absolutely necessary."

"Yes, Mom," I rolled my eyes dramatically as I held out my hand expectantly. Slowly and reluctantly, Ra handed over the sword and scabbard. I attached it too my belt as a horn blasted twice, meaning the first of the Nightmares had appeared. Turning toward the door, the vines untangled and I smirked over my shoulder at my brother, "Let's go kick some Nightmare hindquarter."

* * *

I had launched arrow after arrow into the thick crowd of Nightmares and watched as the black sand shifted to gold and spiraled off into the night sky. We'd been fighting for _hours_, and I was starting to feel weary again. The effort of holding the magic border strong and guiding my arrows to their marks was starting to take its toll. Good thing I didn't have to worry about running out.

I love my magic arrows. As soon as they hit their target, a Nightmare in this case, they explode into gold sparks and the Nightmare vanishes. I never have to worry about running out because they reappear in my quiver as soon as they hit their target. I silently thanked my friend Artemis for her incredible foresight in her gifts. Being the spirit of the hunt, she thought of every scenario.

As the battle drew on, I became increasingly uneasy. The Nightmares didn't seem to be fighting as fiercely as they had been in earlier attacks. It was still exhausting taking them down, but they seemed to be toying with us. Almost like they were stalling...

I looked around at my fellow archers and shouted, "Don't let your guard down! Something's coming!"

I could sense a dark presence approaching the battlefield and I was suddenly filled with dread. There was no doubt in my mind about who had just decided to join the party. Though, I seriously hoped I was wrong.

Unfortunately, my guessing was as good as it always was and I heard a collective gasp as a new figure appeared. It was hidden by a black coat with gold and red highlights that glistened menacingly in the moonlight.

Several Dryads froze in terror at the sight of the cloaked figure,"DON'T JUST STAND THERE! CONTINUE FIRING!" I yelled as I fired another arrow into the sea of black horses.

"RA! STAND AND FACE ME!" the figure roared in a raspy reptilian voice. I cringed at the sound, which threw off my aim slightly, but that didn't matter. You could hit a Nightmare without even aiming. I tore my eyes away from the sea of black just long enough to see the figure throw off his hood to reveal his red, scaly head. It looked like a komodo dragon's head, except for the unnatural blood red coloring of his scales and the jagged teeth that stuck out of his mouth. His blue split tongue darted out of his mouth, tasting the air.

I watched in horror as my brother sliced his way through the sea of Nightmares toward the red reptile. The nightmares parted around the blood colored reptile and allowed Ra to pass. He stood in front of the monster, curved sword held out towards the beast and legs set in a fighting stance. A red clawed hand shot out from behind the folds of the cloak and ripped it off, revealing the Chaos Spirit's body. He was at least 8 feet tall and extremely strong looking. He had a barrel chest and his arms and legs were bulging with muscles. His long red tail uncurled and his bat-like wings unfurled, causing the illusion that he was much bigger than he actually was. The only thing about him that wasn't red was his yellowish underbelly, the black claws on his hands, feet, and the tips of his wings, and the black spines going down his back and tail. He looked like a something that couldn't decide whether it was a dragon or a man and ended up being something in between.

The monster was so much bigger than my brother and the scene would have been almost comical if it wasn't so terrifying. The very sight of the monster made my skin crawl, but also caused an uncomfortable buzzing in the base of my skull. I shook my head, trying to rid myself of the annoying sensation. It disappeared as quickly as it had appeared and I fired several more arrows into the throng of Nightmares. But the dark horses no longer seemed interested in us, they were all watching the staring match between the dragon man and my brother.

"Apophis... I should have known this was your doing," my brother spat at the red monster.

The lizard grinned, showing off his wicked fangs and lunged at my brother. Ra side stepped and the creature flew past him, but whirled around for another attack. Soon they were locked in a deadly dance of lunges, dodges, and swipes. Neither seemed to be gaining any ground, until Apophis' tail lashed out and wrapped around Ra's ankle. A look of shock flashed over Ra's face as his leg was ripped out from under him. He hit the ground hard on his back and lay there, dazed.

"NO!" I screamed in terror. Without thinking, I threw down my bow and drew my sword. I leapt into the air and shot forward at the monster. I saw red as the monster sliced my brother's side, cutting right through the breast plate and leaving an ugly, bloody gash that would have been fatal if he was a human. Letting out an animalistic screech, I barreled straight into Apophis' side, knocking him over. He rolled over and jumped to his feet, snarling at me. I landed on my feet and lunged for him, swiping my sword across his chest, slicing the scaly flesh. A black, tar-like substance oozed out of the wound. Apophis pressed his clawed hand to his chest and looked down at his hand.

He glared at me and smiled coolly, "You'll regret that, little girl."

I snarled and slashed my sword at him again, leaving behind gashes on his arms and any exposed flesh I could get at. He soon looked as if he had been mauled by a very angry cat due to the scratches that now covered his body. Roaring in anger, he lashed out with his clawed hands and grabbed me around the neck before I could dart away. I struggled to free myself from his suffocating grip, but he only pressed harder. Black spots began to dance in front of my eyes and I realized that if I didn't do something fast, this would be the end of Mother Nature and my Grove.

I couldn't allow him to get into the Grove or anywhere near the Yggdrasil. Using the last of my strength, I grabbed an arrow from the quiver still strapped to my back. Before he could react, I stabbed the arrow into his forearm and pressed it down as far as it would go. He roared in pain and threw me to the ground with his good arm.

The impact knocked out what little air was left in my lungs and I lay there, pain exploding in my head, trying to force air back into my lungs. Luckily, Apophis was too busy with the arrow sticking clean through his forearm to bother with me. He snarled and howled in pain, trying to pull it out, but soon found that to be impossible. He cradled the injured arm to his chest and glared down at me, "This is not over, girl," he snarled before turning to his army of Nightmares, "We have accomplished our goal! We will retreat and regroup!"

The horses seemed unhappy about retreating when they still had the upper hand, but they reluctantly followed the Chaos Spirit's orders. As the Nightmares slunk back into the shadows of the Black Forest, Apophis walked over to me and leaned down, "Gaea, my dear. I will see you soon," he whispered in my ear. A shiver ran up my spine as all I could do was lie still and force air into my lungs. It would have be so easy for Apophis to kill me right then and there, but instead, he pulled on his cloak and disappeared into the forest.

I stared stupidly after him, partially from the shock that he had _retreated_ (The Chaos Spirit retreating... that's not something you see every day), but also from the terror caused by what he had said before leaving. A low groan behind me snapped me out of my stupor and I turned to see Ra attempting to sit up, but the pain was too much and he fell back to the ground, moaning pitifully.

"Ra," I whispered as I scrambled over to his side, tears threatening to spill down my cheeks. I grabbed his hand in and looked at him, "Do you think you can stand?"

He smiled at me, though I could tell it was forced, "Yeah. Don't worry about me. I'm tough," he tried to reassure me, but his voice was strained.

"Okay, I'm going to try to help you up. Just hold onto me and I'll get us back to the Yggdrasil," he nodded in understanding. I looped my arm under his arms and pulled him to his feet. He hissed in pain, but put his arm around my shoulder, doing his best to stand up properly. The walk back to the Yggdrasil was long, and slow. Ra's face was slightly pale and I was carrying most of his weight.

Unfortunately, the wind couldn't carry both me and Ra, so I willed a giant plant to grow beneath us. A green sprout shot out of the ground and big leaves unfurled as we stepped on. I held onto Ra to steady him as the plant grew up to the entrance of the Yggdrasil. I practically dragged Ra over to a couch and helped him lie down. He looked up at me, "Sorry..."

"Don't be sorry. You were just being the brave, stupid, idiot that you are," I smiled down at him. Kneeling down, I eyed his side, "Here. Let's get this armor off and get a better look at your wound."

He nodded and I took that as an okay. Slowly and carefully, I removed the breast plate, trying my best to not put him in any pain. I gasped and put a hand over my mouth. The cut was jagged and deep. It was covered in blood and looked absolutely excruciating. I felt tears rising in my eyes and looked at my amazing brother. He grinned at me sadly, "It's not as bad as it looks," he whispered, trying to be a trooper for my sake.

Blinking the tears away, I stood up, "I'm going to go find something to clean that up. I'll be right back, okay?"

I flew up and into the room I used as a storage closet for all of my natural 'potions' as Ra liked to call them. I scanned the bottles until my eyes landed on a jar filled with a dull green goo. I snatched it off of the shelf and grabbed some gauze, a cloth, and a bowl from another shelf.

I filled the bowl with warm water from the kitchen and flew back to Ra. He was lying still, his eyes shut and is chest weakly rising and falling. The traitorous tears came back , spilling over and down my cheeks, "Ra?" I whispered.

His eyes fluttered open and he looked over at me. That's when the situation really hit me. My adopted brother, who had been there for me since my beginning as a spirit, was injured. The same Ra who had been worried about _me_ getting hurt in battle only a few short hours ago. As this hit me, all the emotions that I had been keeping locked up came rushing out in a torrent of tears. I sank to my knees, unable to close the flood gates after they had opened, "Ra. I'm _so_ sorry. This is all my fault," I wailed hopelessly.

"Terra!" I jerked up at Ra's harsh tone, "Did you wish for any of this to happen?"

"No," I sniffled.

"Then it's not your fault. Stop blaming yourself, okay?" he continued softer.

I nodded and wiped the tears away. Picking up the supplies I had set down, I proceeded to clean Ra's wound with the rag soaked with warm water. Soon, the white rag was dyed red from his blood and he winced every time I pressed it to his wound. Once the cut was cleaned, I smeared some of the green goo on it and wrapped it with gauze.

He looked down and admired my handy work, "Very nice. Maybe you should have been spirit of the doctors," he attempted a pretty bad joke.

"That was pitiful," I teased. He laughed at my comment and the sound made my heart soar. If he was able to laugh, then he couldn't be in too much pain. Suddenly, my vision began to swim and I became nauseous. A killer headache shot through my head and I began to sway on my feet.

"Terra?" Ra asked concerned.

"It's nothing," I tried to reassure him, pressing a hand to my forehead, "Do you think you'll be okay while I go to the bathroom?"

He nodded and watched as I flew, not wanting to bother with the stairs, up to the bathroom. Being a spirit, I never had to use the porcelain throne, but I still had a bathroom. There was a bathtub with a shower head on one side and a table with a simple bowl with a spigot over it to use as a sink. A full length mirror that Ra had given to me several years ago sat in one corner and a small mirror that I had found lying in the middle of a field sat above the make shift sink. The bathtub and shower were only used on occasion, when I got covered in dirt, since spirits also don't sweat. The hot water came from a hot spring not too far from the Yggdrasil. It was pumped up here through the Yggdrasil's roots and came out of the spigots. The cold water came from a cool river that ran through my Grove, it got up here the same way the hot water did.

I turned the cold water on in the sink and splashed the cool water on my face, I suddenly felt like I had a fever. Looking up at the mirror, I gasped at the face smiling back at me. It was my own face, but it was paler and her hair hung loose and wild. Her irises were blood red, the exact opposite of my green ones, and the whites of her eyes were disturbingly black. She had an arrogant and evil smirk on her face as she stared at me. I stared back and she waved tauntingly, "Hello, Terra. How are you?"

I cringed at the sound of my own hate filled voice, "Gaea."

"Aww, you remember me," she cooed, but there was only malice in her voice, "Tell me Terra... how does it feel to know your 'brother' is injured because of you?" she used finger quotes when she said brother.

"Shut up," I snarled.

She feigned shock and looked around, "Well I never... here I am, trying to have a civilized conversation and you _snarl_ at me. Where are your manners and respect, Terra?"

"You don't deserve respect."

"Now that just stings."

"Good."

"If you're going to be that way... fine. I can play that way. Just so you know, Apophis will free me, it's only a matter of time. You grow weak during winter, while I grow stronger and you're exhausted from your nightly battles with the Nightmares. I'll take control soon and then I'll kill everyone you hold dear. Starting with your idiot 'brother'!" she cackled evilly.

"SHUT UP!" I screeched in rage and my hand instinctively shot out. As soon as my fist made contact with the mirror, I knew it was one of the dumbest things I had ever done. The mirror shattered and the broken glass sliced open my knuckles. I stared down at my bleeding hands, numb to the pain for the moment. Well, at least I couldn't see Gaea anymore.

_Temper, temper, _Gaea's voice whispered in my mind, followed by another evil cackle.

I sank to the ground and began to cry. Not from the pain in my hand, although it hurt like the dickens, but from the feeling of utter hopelessness that filled me. I was weak and helpless and my weaknesses only got the people I cared about hurt. It would be better if I just stayed away from everyone.

Stop that, I scolded myself, it's not your fault trouble follows you everywhere you go.

That thought only made me cry harder. Why was I so useless?

"Terra?" a weak voice spoke up. I looked up and saw Ra leaning heavily against the door frame, his eyes full of concern, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," I tried to wipe away the evidence of my tears, but that only exposed my bloody knuckles to his gaze.

"Nothing?! Terra, did you punch the mirror?" he demanded rushing to my side and eyed the shattered glass lying on the floor.

"Ra. I think Apophis is trying to release Gaea," I suddenly blurted out. He stared at me, shocked at my sudden theory about the attacks, "And that's not all. I also think he's trying to kill you."

Ra smiled gently at me, "Well I did whip his sorry behind pretty badly several millennia ago."

"IT'S NOT FUNNY RA!" I cried out in frustration, "You do realize if he kills you, Chaos will be allowed to flourish on Earth?"

"Terra... I know, but nothing is..." he suddenly stopped talking and froze. I was about to ask him what was wrong when he suddenly collapsed forward.

"RA!" I shrieked and caught him before he fell. I slowly set his unconscious body down, minding the jagged glass shards lying around. I shook his shoulders and begged him to wake up. I pressed my ear to his chest and heard the tell tale heart beat. At least he was alive. He must have exhausted himself climbing up here.

On instinct alone, I opened his eyes to check... for what, I didn't know... I was just checking. What I saw made my blood run cold. His eyes, once a beautiful blue, were a swirling pool of red sand. I'd never seen anything like this and I almost lost my lunch right then and there.

"You're right, Ra. I can't do this alone. I need help... I need the Guardians," I cried, my tears falling on his chest.

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**A/N: Yeah! Chapter 4 is finished. Poor Ra... Okay... story time! So my sister is one of my _many_ proofreaders, and when she read the description of Ra, she smacked herself. Of course I was sitting right next to her and got kinda concerned for her mental health when she randomly smacked herself. When I asked her about it, she told me she had smacked herself to keep from drooling over Ra. I thought that was hilarious, so I decided to share it with you all.**

**I'd like to take this time to thank the people who added my story to their favorites: RANDOM FOX GRRL, Kira'sGuardian, LivForMusic, and Okatusareawesome101.  
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**A big thanks to the people who put A Double Sided Coin on their alerts: RANDOM FOX GRRL, Beautiful dreaming warrior, Kira'sGuardian, Okatusareawesome101, and SakuraTenshi36092.  
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**And to my reviewers: RANDOM FOX GRRL, MD, and Kira'sGuardian.  
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**Thank you all for your support for this fanfic and I hope to see you all next chapter! Please leave a review! They are great motivators and will help me to get the next chapter out sooner! Thanks!  
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